Heroin Making ‘Roaring Comeback’ After Painkiller Addictions Increase

“A lot of people became addicted to prescription pills (that were) either legally prescribed or (as) young people taking pills for kicks. And unfortunately, those pills are opiate-based, and opiates are very, very addictive,” James Hunt, a special agent in charge of the New York office of the Drug Enforcement Administration, said on AM 970 The Answer’s “Cats Roundtable” radio program.

“Unfortunately in recent years, heroin has made a roaring comeback, basically fueled by this prescription pill craze,” he said.

“When pills became too expensive for them or too hard to get, they resorted to heroin,” Hunt explained. “And there’s a lot of heroin on the street. It’s cheap and plentiful.”

The news comes about a week after one of the largest heroin busts in the city’s history.